I'm drawn to films that win gongs at film festivals like Leonardo diCaprio to a Martin Scorsese film and this one from Australian cinematographer turned director Warwick Thornton picked up the Camera d'Or at Cannes last year.
The last outstanding Australian film I saw was The Proposition but Samson & Delilah was always going to be a completely different kettle of fish sharing only a tough, grimey, outback setting with the John Hillcoat film.
It is an unconventional love story about two aboriginal teens living in an impoverished backwater where bed is a foam mattress under an awning and life is anaesthetised by sniffing chemicals. I say it is unconventional because the two central characters never actually speak to each other. Indeed Samson says only his name once in the entire film.
Now I'm not adverse to films with little dialogue, quite the contrary. Handled correctly, and with the right actors, the effect can be extremely atmospheric. I proffer The White Ribbon by way of an example.
And I think it worked for the characters of Samson & Delilah, played by newcomers Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson. When there is a lack of dialogue there has to be something else to fill the gaps - some sort of drama, tension or deep emotion for example and so much was conveyed with a look.
There are a couple of brutal moments which stand out starkly against the quiet and mundane existence of the two central characters. And, the film is beautifully shot, you can't deny that. But there was still something missing and at times I felt the pace was a little slow.
When I saw the trailer and it said: "They embark on a journey of survival" with flashes to scenes of beatings and kidnapping my thoughts strayed the wonderful Sin Nombre but it isn't that sort of brutal and shocking film. So maybe the problem was my own expectations.
Samson & Delilah is a good film but I'm not sure it will be one of my favourites at the end of the year. I'd give it a Stanley rating of three and three quarter stars out of five.
Here are some of the critics thoughts and the trailer:
Guardian 'The effect of this movie by the Australian director Warwick Thornton is cumulative, subtle, almost stealthy.'
Time Out London 'The director plays a clever game with sympathy: he brings us closer and closer to Samson and Delilah but doesn’t demand that we feel sorry for them.'
Empire online 'Tender and beautifully acted, it's a unflinchingly bleak glimpse of life on Australia's margins.'
Metacritic doesn't have a rating.
Samson and Delilah movie trailer HD from Trinity Films on Vimeo.
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